Great Expectations - Poor Results

Hi everybody!

I've taken a couple of weeks off from my blog to work on my latest book. I'm about 2/3 of the way done, and I think it's shaping up real well. It's called Coven of the Trees and it should be out by the fall.

I'd like to address our inherent desire to always expect the best; it's a human thing, and it's okay to want to succeed, or at least have our wishes fulfilled. As an example, let me talk about the Boston Red Sox for a bit.

Many of you may already know that the Red Sox came from a "worst year" in 2012 to winning the World Series last year. Every Sox fan I know was ecstatic, because the team was not supposed to even be in the mix for a championship. Forward to this year...

The Red Sox have played terribly, retaking their last place position from the year before. They've shown quick glimpses of being better, but inevitably they seem to fall back into mediocrity. I still put every game on, watching and hoping that they go crazy and get back in the hunt, but it's not looking good. 

So every day I see disparaging comments from "fans" who can't wait to post negative remarks about "their" team. I don't get it; as a life-long Red Sox fan who never saw them win a World Series to being one of the millions who have celebrated their three championships in the last ten years, I am excited and happy! No team wins'em all, so why can't we sit back and enjoy the glow?

Are we so spoiled by success that we think it's automatic? Are we so jaded that we can't accept anything less than perfection? I think age has a lot to do with the answers to these questions.

When we're young and full of "piss and vinegar" the world is there for the taking. Every day is a new opportunity to get out there and grab you some of that pie! And most of us do, inhaling it at times. There's nothing we can't do, remember?

We get going so fast sometimes that we miss so much of what is going on around us. We expect everything to go just right, but much of the time it doesn't. It's a difficult pill to swallow for all of us, but that doesn't mean we should give up on our dreams and aspirations.

As we get older we learn to appreciate the beautiful and momentous occasions in our lives, and let go of the not-so-good times that cross our paths. I've heard it called "wisdom" and "experience," and you know, it's a little of both.

The Red Sox are just part of our lives, as is every sports team we root for, no matter where we're from. "Great Expectations" for a sports team, or a movie, book or TV show are really irrelevant; they're all simply  entertainment. We need to stay focused on what really matters and let our entertainment be just that. Don't go off the deep end because your team lost; it really isn't that critical!

If your "entertainment" is contributing to you being a person nobody wants to be around, then get up, stow your attitude in the closet and go take your dog for a walk, take a friend to lunch, spend the evening with your family and loved ones or whatever else you can do to help you feel better. Life is out there, and it's calling you. Make yourself happy today!

As this unknown prophet spoke: Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

And some Facebook wisdom: You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a fishing pole. (or a puppy!)

                                                "Buddy, the Velcro Hot Dog"
                                     "Demonic green eyes courtesy of Samsung"

Have a great weekend everybody!

Mark T. Bradbury, Author

Check out my Kickstarter project: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/899688242/1064321006?token=a5d50fdb

For information on my book, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/ 

For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse" FREE, please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2

And "last, but not least department:" My latest book, Fish Tails -- Bones Not Included, will be available on Amazon.com sometime next week in eBook or paperback. It's humor, unlike Serpent's Curse, for those of you still hiding under your bed.

BIG BROTHER - A Logical Life?

Okay, today I'd like to rant for a couple minutes about my (ours) daily battle for logic. I know I'm not alone in my misery; it seems everybody I talk to has similar issues. Let me tell you about something I'm dealing with today that defies logic in a way even Mr. Spock would contest.

Two months ago I opened a new checking account with a regional bank in my town. I was tired of my problems and overcharges with a big bank that I had been doing business with for several years. I thought that I was simplifying my life at the time.

I'm semi-retired; I receive a check from Social Security every month, which I have deposited directly into my checking account. I filled out the transfer forms at my new bank, checked them over for accuracy, and sent them to Social Security (SSA) to make the changes to my deposit.

In May, my check was not in my account as it should have been. In June,  my check wasn't deposited either. Both times my check was cleared the day after; no big deal, I thought at the time. We'll get this straightened out.

I then received a call from my new bank stating that SSA had sent my check to them both months, but they were sending it to the wrong account. The account number they were sending it to was one number off from my actual number. I was told to contact the SSA by my bank, and make the corrections so that this wouldn't happen a third time.

Well, guess what? The less than helpful person at SSA told me I needed to give her the WRONG account number for her to access my account. She didn't seem to care that it was an inputting error on the part of one of her fellow government employees; it didn't matter. I asked her if I could just give her my name and SS# to access my information, and she flatly said no.

She told me to call my bank to get the incorrect account number before calling back, and then added that the office was closing at noon. It was 11:40! Since then, I've been back and forth three times with someone from my bank and I've yet to get the INCORRECT info!

It's two o'clock and I just got the info from my bank, so tomorrow I get to deal with this all over again (remember, the office closes at noon on Wednesday).

Most of us recall the "happy times and blah, blah, blah" that was dished out years ago by the computer industry; life was going to be simpler and faster and we'd all have more time for enjoyable things. What happened to all that?

It seems the further we get into the "Technological Age" the harder it is to get simple things done correctly and expediently. It doesn't matter what government agency or big corporation it is, doing business has become next to impossible for the regular people out here. My favorite is when you call a company with a problem and you get one of those pleasant computer voices that asks you to repeat almost everything you say before you beat it into allowing you to speak to a live person, who often resents the fact that he/she has to deal with your problem.

This is easier? For the companies who've laid off thousands of real people so their pleasant systems can take your call at a miniscule cost compared to paying people wages and benefits it's a lot easier. But it's a nuisance for the rest of us who, by the way, are paying for their (lack of) services.

I'm not one of those people who think that things will change if I bitch about it long enough. I'm old enough to understand that it will probably get worse before it gets better, but wouldn't it be nice to actually deal with real people who can help you solve your problem? Or have someone in "Customer Service" treat you like you're the customer, and not just another pain in their butt?

Sorry! I know I'm living on Earth, and not some distant planet. But, like every old fart you know, here I am whining about the "good ol' days" like it was Utopian. And you know what? In many ways it was!

I think Will Rogers summed it up best when he said: 

"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you."  

If he could only see it now!

And from our favorite old "rooster," John Wayne, comes these words of wisdom:

        "Life is hard: it's harder if you're stupid!"

From Baisden Live: "Sometimes all you need is 500 million dollars!" 
         
Sounds good to me! I think that would solve all of my problems; how about you? 

Have a great week!


Mark T. Bradbury, Author

For information on my book, "Serpent's Curse," please follow the link:
http://littlepondpublishing.com/book-titles/serpents-curse-by-mark-t-bradbury/ 
It's now available as a paperback at Amazon.com.

For those of you who would like to try the first seven chapters of my book "Serpent's Curse" FREE, please click on the link below:
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/1456c9f6ce6cc2b2